Tax Breachers
Within the long-standing culture of Eridanus, there is a rumour told within the lower ranks, even at times the higher status Eridanii, of the Tax Breachers. They are an organised crime group who remove the inefficiencies within Eridanus and iron out the kinks in the system. It is known that they work to benefit the Eridanus but also install fear in the sector. The Tax Breachers provide nobles with connections and resources to advance themselves by any means necessary. Structure and Powers The Patrons, sometimes known as The Other Triumvirate are the leaders of the secretive mafia family of House Eridanus. The family is often divided into three branches that loosely mimic the structure of the Triumvirate of House Eridanus and are believed to be each lead by one of these powerful elders. The members of the mafia don’t exclusively follow one branch or another but the corresponding triumvir has jurisdiction on disputes regarding their responsibilities. Not as exclusive as other covert Eridanii organizations, the mafia is a relatively open system. Millions of nobles are wrapped up in the dealings of the Tax Breachers and a general ethos of personal self-advancement and competition is fostered within the group. However, what vectors of profit acquisition are allowed are heavily influenced by the politics of the Other Triumvirate and their goals for the empire, house, and themselves. The following table defines the twisted forms of the Patrons’ Triumvirate-like structure and their divided responsibilities. Tidepool While gambling and loans are regular and readily available things, the ones covered by the financially-interested branch of the Mafia, Tidepool are more exploitative, often getting freemen and lesser nobles caught in a loop of responsibilities that are more compromising for them to admit to than to fight the uphill battle to get out the completely legal (though often exploitative of loopholes) methods. Although most of the business that the Tax Breachers bring in is technically legal, extra steps involving complicated money-laundering schemes are taken to make clean money sparkle. Of the three, this is the most known and easy to find, yet at the top levels is the most difficult to crack. Undercurrent The often jeeringly called trade-interested branch of the Mafia, Undercurrent, concerns itself with smuggling, customs evasion, multi-level-marketing, and HEX schemes. With connections in Imperial shipping, the undercurrent is able to covertly transport bootlegged goods, unlicenced productivity drugs, weapons, and even human trafficking. Hypothetically the trafficking is for labor, but any and all conceivable uses are not unknown for the right price and buyer. Riverbed Lastly the Socio-Politically driven branch, Riverbed, is more well known to the lowest class of nobility and the wealthiest of freemen, serfs and their attendant masters of middle and upper nobility are often beyond their exploitative racketeering, though those who possess property in regions where it may be hard to find a clean Crux officer may also partake of their services. Blackmail and extortion, on the other hand, are leveraged against any and all who this branch of the Mafia are capable of, only showing their hand when they know that their mark cannot possibly fight against them without more deeply compromising themselves. More illegal forms of these actions can have even harsher and deeper consequences for those who fall prey to the tangle of complexities, lies, half-truths, and rumours surrounding both themselves and their exploitative nature of their imposters. Practices Targets of Business The Tax Breachers scout out the weakest links of the house to remove inefficiencies from the system. If an Eridanii starts falling into debt, falls behind at work, misses deadlines, or otherwise embarrass the house, they might be recruited for dangerous but not critical missions. These are almost always intended to cause the death of the target but limits the liability of the family. Most of the grunt work is done by these first-time goons but it is a chance for them to balance the books and rebuild their lives. In rare cases when the target is successful in their assigned task, they are recruited officially into the Tax Breachers through the inking ceremony. Inking Although it may sound like a process of tattooing initiates, the inking is a celebration of the familial ties of the mafia. When one is trusted by the Tax Breachers and officially recruited into positions of responsibility, they undergo the inking. Initiates sign their name in a secure ledger with their own blood. Their superiors do the same overlaying signatures until all of the blood has mixed together and no one name stands out blotting the page. It is a symbolic incorporation of individuals into the family by blood and establishes that their name means nothing on its own; that one must seize power not merely inherit it. Snitches and their Stitches Various techniques are used to remove associates of the family, many of them clean, efficient, and bloodless, but sometimes sanguine scarlet can send a more clear message. Loopholes of Legality On a technicality many if not all of the actions of the mafia are legal on Tiber. Intimately involved in the legislative actions of the Eridanii government on Tiber, the mafia has tipped the scales of justice in their favor. A continual debate over whether or not some Imperial laws supersede the Tiberian ones and have caused long drawn-out cases with House Crux and past Emperox against House Eridanus. An informal consensus resolves that plea deals for lesser crimes without any requirement for cooperation shall replace more serious prosecution. An innate understanding of the complex codes and restrictive laws of Tiber, enable the Eridanii to evade the long arm of House Crux even when technically they might have breached the laws of the Empire. A few minor level and sloppy members have been caught, but have never been important enough to cause considerable harm to the family. Many assume that these sloppy operatives were purposely allowed to fall into the arms of Imperial Justice to get rid of vulnerabilities and to help local law enforcement meet quotas. Nicknames Members of the Tax Breachers often use nicknames and code names to disguise their true identity. These often borrow the names of predatory fish and compound them with common Tiberian names. Shark, Barracuda, Piranha, Pike, Tuna, Sting Ray, Salmon, Perch, Marlin, Mackerel, or Bonito are paired with Guillaume, Luis, Amelia, Paŭlo, Gabriella. Loreto, or Gwynedd. For example Maria Manta or Marlin Luksa. These names look genuine enough to fool a low-level clerk and create a wall of deniability in paper records. Sayings “Our blood is solvent” An allusion to the financial dealings of House Eridanus it also implies that the mafia can, through their familial connections, dissolve any opposition. “Death by a thousand paper-cuts” When used by a member of the mafia, the hyperbolic statement talking about paperwork has a more sinister meaning. It is, in fact, a particularly gruesome way the Mafia deals with snitches and enemies of the family. “Must be a Bortignon” The Bortignon family, known most famously for the eccentric and successful Taxarch Division, are believed to be in league with the Tax Breachers, but what few charges have stuck to them have been low-level offenses and not revealed any deeper conspiracy. It is a running joke among most Eridanii that whenever a noble crime gets reported in the news that it must be a Bortignon. History Although many influential families in House Eridanus had skirted and avoided the law for their own political and financial gain, a united Eridanii mafia is not chronicled in any pre-Scream histories. Many mark the unexplained deaths of all three Eridanii Triumvirate in 2953 as the mafia’s beginning. Soft Opening The period of the early mafia prior to 2953 used to describe the mafia during the reign of The Blood Eagle. It was the violent crucible of the Second Imperial Civil War and that formalised the mafia. In opposition to the established politics of House Eridanus, the Tax Breachers siphoned imperial revenues, smuggled war material, and aided enemies of the Blood Eagles empire all in the search for profits. Comprised of the nobles who believed themselves above the busybodies in bureaucracy and the founders of ACRE, the mafia held two things above all else: the family and profits. In that order The Grand Opening Euphemistic name for the deaths of the House Triumvirate in 2953 and a period of political revolution in the house. In social circles outside of House Eridanus, 2953 seemed like an unlucky year for the tax men but sweeping changes followed the election of a mafia allied House Triumvirate. Nominally supporting the Blood Eagle, House Eridanus on paper maintained the imperial banks, regulated trade, and funded the imperial war effort. However, clerical errors and corruption pervaded the system weakening imperial defenses. A progressive footing allowed House Eridanus to take a path of least resistance and a smooth (as smooth as the fall of the Imperial House can be) transition propelled House Eridanus to the responsible for taxation, finance, and trade in the new empire. With House Eridanus established in pivotal roles of Imperial bureaucracy, the mafia ceased subverting the will of the house directly but fostered personal motivations for advancement within Eridanii nobility. Critics of the Tax Breachers compared the individualistic nature of post-peace mafia controlled Eridanus to the fabled Eridanii Empress before The Scream and cried for a more imperially minded house culture. War Against the Artificials WIP Conflict of 3200 WIP Relations with Other Criminal Organizations Outside the Imperial Core, Eridanii and, by extension, Tax Breaker, influence decreases. It is in the fringes of God’s Empire that the Eridanii Mafia is outmatched by other businesses. 14 Red Dogs Triad As the most widespread and entrenched organization outside of the core, the 14 Red Dogs Triad has many dealings with the Tax Breahcers. The Eridanii are by comparison mere novices at trafficking human capital and often outsource excessive violence. A melding of the two entities business operations allows each other to maximise profits and efficiencies. For example, various fronts and programs such as the Boran Initiative, 14 Red Dogs Charity, 404 A Bouquet of Crimson Lilies for an Illicit Rendezvous, provide access to various illicit markets, blackmail information, and dispute settlement. In turn, the Eridanii provide legitimization for these fronts, transportation of goods in the core, and access to HEX based money laundering. This mutual arrangement allows for One Hand to Wash the Other. In some areas of the sector, a sort of cold war has arisen between the two. Defined borders allow each other to comfortably operate with less fear and create opportunities to seamlessly eliminate disruptive agents. It is not uncommon for problematic members of the Eridanii mafia to be told to cross a street for a coffee or inquire after a potential target in the neighboring building and be sent across an invisible border to their death. Confederation of the Upright Vagrant The Vagrant Fleets notable smugglers and privateers. Also, come in contact with the Tax Breachers. Prior to confederation, the Eridanii provided a backchannel to legitimate businesses for the criminal enterprises of the so-called “House.” Post confederation, the Tax Breachers have continued aiding in covert transportation and have helped quash rumours of impropriety by the Vagrant Fleet and her members. Category:House Eridanus Category:Organizations